Judging summary for Mrs Susan Crossley
UK appointments since January 2000
Birmingham 2021
25th September 2021
| Best of Breed | Ch. Rossvale Secret Obsession |
| Dog CC | Ch. Minfaa Sundance Kid |
| Dog RCC | Ch. Miracey Zero Hour |
| Bitch CC | Ch. Rossvale Secret Obsession |
| Bitch CC | Ch. Rossvale Secret Obsession |
| Bitch RCC | Ch. Zeeva Mirror Image JW |
| Bitch RCC | Ch. Zeeva Mirror Image JW |
| Best Puppy | Ch. Matsuba King Of Hearts |
| Best Veteran | Ch. Rossvale Secret Obsession |
Show critique
Thank you very much to the exhibitors for a great entry and for the sporting way the results were received. Thank you to my two very good stewards who made my day so much more pleasant and kept everything on track for me. Shih Tzu have been my hobby for 53 years and during that time I have seen many changes, not always for the better. There is a tendency towards smaller eyes and longer noses which is so untypical for a Shih Tzu head and expression. A longer nose does not make for easier breathing, the problems with breathing occur from soft pallets and tight nostrils, and dogs with these should be excluded from breeding programmes. Large round dark eyes are a true Shih Tzu beauty, making them smaller is not the answer to eye accidents, making sure they are not bulbous helps with this and daily eye care also. Shih Tzu are rectangular so if you bring them up on the leg you have to extend the body so they are not square, that makes the dogs bigger and the weight 16/18 lbs wont be achievable. So, lets not make them too large, lets stick to the standard that has been around for a long time. There is a saying “If its not broke don’t fix itâ€, perhaps we must all remember that when breeding and try not to alter the standard to what we think it should be.
Joint Shih Tzu Clubs 2014
12th April 2014
| Best of Breed | Ch. Miracey Hotter Than Hell at Meilijo JW |
| Dog CC | Ch. Miracey Hotter Than Hell at Meilijo JW |
| Dog RCC | Ch. Miracey Rough Rider |
| Best Puppy | Ch. Camelle Chocolate Mousse at Rossvale JW (imp Fin) |
Driffield 2010
3rd October 2010
| Best of Breed | Ch. Rossvale She's A Model |
| Dog CC | Ch. Tansingh Double Jepardy (UK, Swe) |
| Dog RCC | Ch. Thaisu Back To Bedlam |
| Bitch CC | Ch. Rossvale She's A Model |
| Bitch RCC | Thaisu Pussycat Doll at Marbo |
| Best Puppy | Minfaa Scaramanga JW |
BUBA 2008
6th December 2008
| Best of Breed | Ch. Bellakerne Danny-Do |
| Dog CC | Ch. Bellakerne Danny-Do |
| Dog RCC | Ch. Thairo Trivial Pursuit for Cimona |
| Bitch CC | Ch. Weatsom Simply Gifted |
| Bitch RCC | Ch. Venustus Jump For Joy |
| Best Puppy | Tsantha Luck Be A Lady |
Show critique
Thank you very much everyone for the wonderful entry, it was a very enjoyable day.
I would like to make several comments concerning the breed.
The difference between a Lhasa Apso and a Shih Tzu has to be more than a head & topknot. Our standard for forequarters asks for legs to be short and muscular with ample bone, as straight as possible consistent with broad chest being well let down. The Lhasa standard asks for forelegs straight heavily furnished with hair. The chest let down is very important, it alters the conformation of the dog and greatly affects movement. Nearly all the Shih Tzu I saw had good heads but there were so many exhibits with no chests and hence untypical movement. Shih Tzu should not single track, there should be width between the front and rear when moving, driving off from the rear and reaching forward in front.
Presentation was generally very good. If as much attention was paid to construction and movement points as is paid to coat, the breed would be in an overall better state. The new standard from the KC will require less emphasis on coat and more on ‘fit for life’, a natural life for the Shih Tzu and judges are being asked to pay more attention to this.
Part of a judge’s job is not to be distracted by skilled handlers but I feel obliged to mention that a number of dogs were let down by poor handling skills, which ought to be better at this level.
We should remember that we only borrow the Shih Tzu for our lifetime and we all have a duty to leave these lovely little dogs as near to their standard as we can for future generations. On current trends I fear this is not going to happen.
Shih Tzu Club of Scotland 2007
5th May 2007
| Best of Breed | Ch. Tameron Mr Kenzo |
| Dog CC | Ch. Tameron Mr Kenzo |
| Dog RCC | Ch. Cradarr He's A Cracker at Krisquest |
| Bitch CC | Ch. Tsantha Sunny Side Up at Sazkey |
| Bitch RCC | Ch. Rossvale Miss Scarlett |
| Best Puppy | Shantrionna Seventh Heaven JW |
Show critique
I was very pleased to judge the Shih Tzu Club of Scotland’s Championship show. Thank you to the Officers and Committee for inviting me.
Not having judged for a while I was anxious to see if the breed had altered much. It has in some ways. There is still a great gulf between the top 15% of very good Shih Tzu and the bottom 20% being quite poor. There are still problems but I would say that on the whole they are different problems than we experienced years ago. This has probably come about because of large numbers of imports available at stud which has mixed up bloodlines and diluted the type of Shih Tzu I was looking for. Genetic diversity is highly desirable but a lack of consistency of type is not. Fronts are narrower, so too the back ends and the balance has changed in that they are higher on the leg and shorter in body. I do feel that this will cause us problems in future as a large round head coming out of a square body invites whelping difficulties as already seen in Bulldogs and Pugs to name but a few.
Presentation is now generally excellent, but remember, a fit healthy, good type Shih Tzu is far more important than a huge coat if the Shih Tzu is to move forward in a healthy state.
Midland Counties 2003
26th October 2003
| Best of Breed | Ch. Matsuba Scandalizer |
| Dog CC | Ch. Huxlor Trigger Happy |
| Dog RCC | Wynele Realization JW |
| Bitch CC | Ch. Matsuba Scandalizer |
| Bitch RCC | Sonoltay Talk About Mollie at Gladmin |
| Best Puppy | Cabbala Happiness Is |
Leeds 2000
22nd July 2000
| Best of Breed | Ch. Sonoltay Special Dream JW |
| Dog CC | Ch. Rosaril The Dreamweaver JW |
| Dog RCC | Timomar Angel Eyes |
| Bitch CC | Ch. Sonoltay Special Dream JW |
| Bitch RCC | Tsantha Dawn Chorus |
| Best Puppy | Sonoltay Talk About Mollie at Gladmin |